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Impact of trucker convoy in DC area expected to continue for next several days

Jack Moore | jmoore@wtop.com

March 14, 2022, 11:47 PM

Drivers in the D.C. area Monday afternoon faced “extreme” delays heading into the District amid a demonstration related to a trucker convoy. And it could go on for the next several days. Here’s what you need to know. ... The traffic meltdown Monday stemmed from the trucker convoy. It spread out and moved through the District on interstates 395, 695 and 295 — eastbound on the Southeast/Southwest Freeway from the 14th Street Bridge to the 11th Street Bridge — as well as traffic control operations that blocked exits to keep traffic flowing.

Chris Rodriguez, the director of D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, said the plan is to continue to block the offramps so the convoy would move through the District and head back to Hagerstown, Maryland, where they have been congregating since last week. ... “We have to assume it’s going to continue at least for the next several days,” Rodriguez said, but added that the number of trucks and vehicles in the group has decline significantly.

On Monday, D.C. police blocked all eastbound offramps on the freeway, including 14th Street SW, the 12th Street Expressway, the 3rd Street Tunnel, South Capitol Street and the ramp to northbound D.C. Route 295. ... That meant that many drivers who were driving with the trucks — and those caught up in the convoy — could not easily exit the freeway.

“The traffic control for the truck convoy included closing every single ramp on the eastbound freeway for more than two hours,” WTOP traffic reporter Dave Dildine said. ... “There were no eastbound exits available and eastbound drivers, whether in the group or not, were sent all the way across the Anacostia River southbound on I-295 way down past [Joint Base Anacostia] Bolling toward the sewage treatment plant at Blue Plains,” Dildine said. “In the process, many desperate drivers there tried to turn around on a muddy median strip on I-295 and got stuck. Everyone else incurred excruciating delays.” ... By shortly after 4 p.m., all ramps had reopened

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WTOP’s Dick Uliano and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Jack Moore
Jack Moore joined WTOP.com as a digital writer/editor in July 2016. Previous to his current role, he covered federal government management and technology as the news editor at Nextgov.com, part of Government Executive Media Group.

jmoore@wtop.com